My oldest daughter has blessed me with four grandchildren. Her oldest Reece, is up in Heaven watching over us. He is a special little angel sitting next to my father, whom he was named after. After Reece, there is JH (whom we affectionately call Bubba), Sid, and Tessa. I absolutely adore all of my grandchildren. I feel so blessed to know each one of them, and I have learned that becoming a grandparent is the reward for all of the other things that have come before in your life. They will transform you in ways that you never imagined.Today I want to talk about Sid, because today is her special day. It is the day she turns eight years old.

Sid is so many things all rolled into one amazing little package. She is funny, smart, serious, artistic, organized, caring.......and best of all she is loving.

She makes everyone's life better.On her fifth birthday she asked me what I was going to be for Halloween. I said I was going to be something really scary. I was going to dress up as myself. Five year old Sid came over, put her arm around me, and said "You're not scary, Nana. You're just lovable."I know one thing. You have my heart, Sid. So happy happy birthday. I wish I was there to celebrate it with you, but I will be thinking about you all day.

Enjoy your special day and when you are trick or treating be sure to mention it is your birthday. Maybe they will give you an extra treat.

Yesterday was such an exciting day here at the I'm So Vintage household that it is hard to keep the momentum going. However, I did promise to let you know about my daughter's giveaway of her succulent. SO true to my word (and as we all know I have never fibbed a day in my life) you can click here for the giveaway.

In case you missed my post about her magazine feature, and I don't know how you could have because I stood on the courthouse steps with a megaphone and announced it to the world, you can read about it here.

Well, enough about her. Let's get onto my really exciting life. NOT!!!Sister informed me in her older sisterly sort of way, that I need to dispel the notion that I am not artsy or crafty, so I thought I would share a photo of some Halloween needle felting I did a few years ago. An original Halloween scene and a cat sitting on a pumpkin. If the sun would come out I could get some better photos.

Fall means attending lots of auctions, and so that is what is taking up a lot of my time.

Sometimes you have to sit for several hours, through a lot of junk, in order to bid on a couple of things. It can be very time consuming, but I love visiting with my friends (magazine of course was passed around for those who missed the courthouse thing) and I have come home with a few finds for my bedroom and bathroom this last week.

This large painted mirror was one of them. I'll probably hang it while I decide about repainting it at a later date. I'll also share some of my other finds and what I am doing with them in the weeks to come. I'm hoping the sun will make an appearance over the next couple of days so I can get out and take some pictures. I'm definitely not a gray and gloomy kind of girl.

We interrupt today's regularly scheduled post to bring you this special announcement.It's here. It has arrived on the shores of this great country.

I purchased my copy this morning.

I am such an excited and proud mama.

Did I mention I am EXCITED and PROUD?

Did I mention that she has the cover and she gives step by step instructions so that you can make your own.

Did I mention how cute she is and how EXCITED and PROUD her mama is.Oh, and if you think you might want to browse more of her art work you can find it HERE.A lot of what is on there is reserved, but she does make special orders, and she tells me she will be having a giveaway of the succulent that is featured in the magazine. I'll be sure and post that when she announces it. Bragging rights are great.

I have been busy for a couple of days running errands and catching up on all those little household chores that never seem to get done. The weather is cool, gray, and windy here and as I hurried to my car this morning I wondered where the sun has gone and wherever it is I want to follow it. It reminded me of one of my favorite Beatles' songs and I have been singing it all day. As much as I am sure you would love my rendition, I thought you might enjoy their's more.

I think I will fix myself a cup of hot chocolate, light a sweet candle, and take a little break to start on the new M.C. Beaton book I found at the library today.

It is the latest in her Agatha Raisin mystery series. If you haven't ever read any of her books and you like mysteries and love to laugh give them a whirl. You won't be disappointed. Oh, and I must share a wonderful giveaway today. Head on over to Camp and Cottage Living for a chance to win this gorgeous bracelet and more.

And if you aren't already a follower of her wonderful blog, I'm sure you will want to become one.

Full disclosure. I am not being compensated by anyone (but if anyone out there would like to compensate me, please feel free to do so, although I do have a relative minor list of things I am not willing to do)

How many times have you lost faith in your dreams because someone told you they were impossible?How many times have you given up on what you wanted because no one else believed in you?How many times have you felt that what you wanted was right, only to give up because you were afraid?Well, I'm here to tell you....

I can tell you that I have given up on many of my dreams over my lifetime because no one else believed in me. I was afraid and more often than not I gave up way too easily and for all the wrong reasons. The times that I've stood alone and followed what I believed in, the road may not have been easy, my decisions may not have been popular, and I may have been shaking in my proverbial boots, but I haven't regretted following my instincts even if I did fail. Because those were the times that I believed in myself or my cause.Believe me I have stuck my foot in my mouth more often than I care to think about and I have made a lot of mistakes, but if they were my mistakes, then I learned from them and I have definitely learned to stand taller for what I believe in. I don't give up easily these days and I hope you won't either. No one knows you better than you do, so don't be afraid to stand up for your dreams.

I feel robbed. I feel that there has been an inappropriate changing of the seasons. What happened to my fall? I want it back!!!Could you please check your mail to see if I accidentally mailed it to you.

Yes, there is a cold wind whistling down the pike my friends. So, I have decided to stoke up the home fires (translation: turn on the gas fireplace) pour a cup of the old earl gray and do some blog visiting this afternoon.My much hardier kinfolk are probably laughing like crazy at me right now.Oh well, I never listened to them anyway.

It's been another exciting week at the I'm So Vintage homestead. Life on the prairie (okay it's an apartment in Kentucky) is an unrelenting round of good times. So here is a glimpse into what I've been up to.I've started juicing again. I got really lax in the last few months and my body was telling me to smarten up. (I learned that very nifty phrase growing up in Canada. It's a great one)

I talked about juicing here. Sometimes I throw in everything but the kitchen sink. I like to make sure I use up all of my veggies, and since I wrote that first post I have added turmeric. Great anti-inflammatory.As the weather has turned more fall like here, I am starting to become interested in baking again. Got up early Sunday morning and baked some gluten free banana muffins.

Topped with fresh blueberry preserves, they were YUM!!!I have really been wanting a Moosewood cookbook and last week while out thrifting, one was just sitting on a shelf all by its lonesome. I think it moved itself over there from the book shelves because it knew I didn't have time to go through all of those books.

For $2.50 I did a happy dance all the way out the door. I cooked up some cauliflower and cheese soup and a mushroom and swiss quiche this week. I used a frozen gluten free pie crust I found at Whole Foods. More YUM!!!My week has not been just about food, although my scales would beg to differ. While cleaning out a summer handbag I found these heart shaped stones.

Some love from the beachAnd my favorite auction find of the week. I have to confess I drove 12 miles just to bid on this.

It will be going in my shop, but in the meantime I will enjoy looking at it. Time to get out there and look for the next great find.

In my opinion, nothing complicates your life more than being unhappy, and as my grandmother used to tell me when I was a child, and quite the little worrywart, worry doesn't add a day to your life.

My grandmother was a wise and wonderful woman. She was probably the closest person I have ever known to being an angel on earth. Her life was not an easy one, but she made the best of everything and I never saw her unhappy. She lived to the ripe old age of 92.What do happy people do that is different?

Happy people take risks. They take that leap of faith I talked about here.I can see those wheels turning. Wouldn't taking risks stress you out more?Well no, not really, because without taking risks we never move forward. We never try the things that we really want to do. We never really allow ourselves to just be who we really are.

I plan to practice happiness every day, because I am on the road to a simpler life, and I know that there is nothing that simplifies life more than being happy.

Woke up this morning to a cool and rainy day, so I nabbed sister and drug her out to breakfast.

We have been talking about going around the corner to Josie's on 68 for breakfast, and this seemed like the perfect day.Loved the decorations on the porch.

I am really fascinated by all of the new pumpkins and gourds.

It was really gray out, so hard to get a clear photo.But. in all honesty we were there for one reason and one reason only. We had been told about the eggs benedict and cheese grits casserole.

Not one of my prouder moments. Not only did I order it, but I ate every bite. It was worth every last calorie. (I feel sure there couldn't have been more than 10 in the whole dish)So, I will be waddling through the rest of my day and am now calling myself I'm So Stuffed.

I was in a group of people Tuesday morning where we were talking about adversity and someone asked me how I have been able to cope with all of the adversity in my life. I said I do it through faith and a profound sense of gratitude. That does not mean that I never wring my hands or gnash my teeth, because I am human and of course I do. I choose not to talk about religion or politics on my blog. I will leave that to others, but I am very spiritual and I am filled with gratitude for each breath that I have been given to breathe each day. It is my family and the simple things in life that I will remember at the end of my life. Yes, there have been many times when all I had to rely on was a leap of faith, but I have learned I can leap pretty far when I have to.

Last night as I slept fall came sneaking in. Like a thief that comes creeping in in the dark of night it stole our lovely weather.And this morning I heard the steady beat of the rain on the roof and the swish of tires as they passed outside my windows on the wet road.Last week as I drove past this old country church I thought about the inevitability of life.

Just like the flowers that were still blooming and the trees that were just beginning to be tinged with red, there would be change. The flowers would die and the trees would lose their leaves as a new season took hold. A new season just like a new day means new beginnings. We can try to hold on to the beauty of summer, but we can't stop fall from creeping in. So my plan is to embrace it with open arms.To enjoy the bounties that are so uniquely Autumn's.

On gray cool days I will sit by my window and watch the beauty of fall unfold.

I will plan ahead for days spent walking in the clear cool air and nights spent reading by the fire.For the seasons of life are always changing and I feel grateful for them.

Well, the day of excitement has rolled around once again. It's the day where I share what in the heck I have been up to this past week. It's actually been a pretty mundane week around the I'm So Vintage household. I know that is kind of hard to believe considering how extra exciting it normally is.The weather here in Central Kentucky has been spectacular. Perfect walking weather. Cool mornings and warm sunny afternoons. I have loved taking my walks and gathering some finds from nature. You saw the garland I made.

If you missed how I made it you can see it here.I've also been collecting leaves. I love pairing them up with old books. Simple and lovely.

I also used some of my finds in a centerpiece for the dining room table. I tried taking a picture of it on the table, but it is so dark in there that I had to move it next to a window for the photo.

I love the old dough bowl and I think Uncle Charlie was liking it too. Haven't met Uncle Charlie? You can read about him here.Other than that I have been working on my Etsy shop and going to auctions.

I love it when I find so many great things to sell. I have a hard time parting with a lot of them, but I am so happy when someone else gets to enjoy them.Part of being a dealer is that things in your home are always changing. Works for me. I love to rearrange.

Speaking of rearranging, I just got a call that means a bit of rearranging of my day. You know what they say about the best laid plans. What is it exactly they say?.............................Linking today with:Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

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